Surprise storm slams Poconos

An early blast from winter’s Uzi is wreaking havoc on the Poconos with thousands of people out of power and travel dangerous in higher elevations.

An early blast from winter’s Uzi is wreaking havoc on the Poconos with thousands of people out of power and travel dangerous in higher elevations.

Snowfall totals as of around 6 p.m. Tuesday were 13 inches in Tobyhanna, 12 inches in Long Pond and 7 inches in Mount Pocono.

At 1:40 New Jersey DOT reported Interstate 80 westbound closed, all lanes, near Exit 34 due to the weather, until at least 3:30 p.m. Earlier, Interstate 80 west of Blakeslee was closed for a time due to weather-related accidents involving tractor trailers.

The National Weather Service predicts snow, sleet and gusty winds to continue until 4 a.m. Wednesday.